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About handymr

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FIXED see new post took 1 hour including a cuppa to warm me up. anybody with knocking noise look at these 1st they are the weakest link in the suspension setup, also cheap and easy to replace. I sust these were the problem by putting the car on axle stands and then removing the wheel and putting a trolly jack under hub/brake disc and raising it and lowered it. it knocked and you could feel the vibration on it as you raised it up and down. All help and suggestions appreceiated many thanks andy ...........

Once again many thanks for the info on replacing the drop link on my focus. It took me 1 hour which included a cuppa to warm me up. I went for a test drive no more noise and the suspension seems to be alot tighter. Looking at the old link the top socket moved around whereas the bottom one was solid with no movement, which is the knackered end then? cheers again andy ......

got the part today cost me £10.60p for drivers side FAI product, Just one final question does it matter which nut to undo 1st top or bottom? Hoping to get it done tomorrow (weather permitting) so i'll report back tomorrow guys .....

Thanks for that info, I'll see if i can pick one up from the local motor factors tomorrow and get it replaced , I'm glad it only takes 20 mins its started snowing again here in yorkshire so don't want to freeze my nuts off !!! once again many thanks andy ....... :P

I had a look today , took the drivers wheel off and I think the problem is the drop link between the strut and anti roll bar , every time I raised the the strut with a trolly jack the drop link moved and made the clanging noise. do these need replacing in pairs because the other side is okay .... many thanks for ur reply ...... andy ....... <_<

Hi all I have a mk1 04 42000 miles focus, since the cold weather over xmas time I've noticed a creaking noise from the suspension, seems worse when driving slow and turning right but you can still hear it whilst driving in a straight line.it seems to come from the drivers side. I had no problems upto the very cold weather kicking in which included driving in the snow and ice . The car does not pull either way and the brakes work fine. Can road salt causes the bushes to dry out and if so is there anything that can be applied to stop the noise. any help or suggestions would be appreceiated. cheers andy ......

As anyone replaced a timing belt on a MK1 focus. What Tips can you give me and type of special tools to use. I need to do this because of a crankshaft oil seal leaking , the car as 34000 miles on it and is an '04' plate. Any help appreciated ........andy ........

<_< Cleaned sump and ran the engine. The oil is coming from the timing belt cover near the crankshaft, therefore pointing to the cranshaft oil seal needing to be replaced. Rang Ford, they have quoted me £560 included in this price is 5 hours labour plus new Timing belt kit and Aux belt and seal. Looked in the Haynes manual and I'm going to need special tools for the timing and inserting the seal. Has anyone on here replaced this seal, How hard is it to do? I would describe myself as an average D.I.Y mechanic. Any help or procedures would really be appreciated. I don't have £560 to spend and also i'm worried about the oil getting onto the timing belt and what consequenses this may have ?

Focus 1.4 04 plate. I'v noticed an oil patch under my car and on further investigation i'm 90% convinced it is coming from the crankshaft. (10% thats its from the sump gaskett) . How easy is it to change the seal on the crankshaft , have any of you Pro's any advice e.g Time & difficulty. or if too difficult how much to pay for a garage to do the job. I'm getting grief from the Mrs about the oil on the drive ...... many thanks for any tips & advice .........

Hi i'v had my focus mk1 for four months and the only thing that does'nt work is the Audio remote on the steering wheel. My focus came with a 3000 radio cassette which works fine but on a few websites they say all focus's came equipt with the 5000rds radio cassette, if so would this cause the audio remote behind the steering wheel not to work due to compatable issues. Please would someone confirm this issue for me before I buy a new Audio remote control..... I love the car and is nearly as good as a FORD CAPRI ............ cheers andy .........